Drysuits are worn by rafters, scuba divers, kayakers and boaters to keep them warm and dry when they are in a cold environment. It is necessary to have some kind of exposure protection when the temperature is as low as 15 degrees Celsius. Water is kept from entering the body of a drysuit through built in seals located at the ankles, wrist and neck area. Over time, the seals may crack or tear as the rubber ages, making the drysuit useless for its intended purpose. The seals may be repaired, however, by following these steps.
Remove the old seals - Expose the interior of the suit where the seals are located by turning it inside out. Carefully cut the seal, leaving the bonded parts intact. Keep the cut straight and avoid uneven edges. Sand the edges of the suit to roughen them. This will allow the glue to hold more securely. Thoroughly clean the rough edges with alcohol and let it dry.
Prepare the suit to receive a new seal - Get a plastic container (flower pot, traffic cone, or a bucket) that fits into the opening of the seal (wrist, ankle and neck) and wrap it with a piece of waxed paper, secured with tape. Insert the wax-wrapped container in the seal opening to create a fixed gasket opening and put a rubber band around it to prevent it from sliding out. Get another plastic container and slice off both sides to mimic a large plastic ring. These pieces will help hold the new seal in the right position.
Mix the glue for the seal and apply to the mating surfaces - Put on latex gloves and mix an equal portion of Cotol and Aquaseal on a dry plastic tray. Evenly apply the Cotol and Aquaseal mixture on the original seal and leave it exposed. Allow it to dry for 10 minutes. As with the old drysuit seal, turn the new seal inside out. Fold back the edge of the new seal and apply a light coating of Cotol and Aquaseal mixture on its edges where the old seal will be fitted. Apply another layer of adhesive mixture to your old seal.
Attach the new seal - As both old and new seal are coated with the adhesive mixture, cautiously position the new seal and apply a pressure on its glued edges over the original seal. Smoothen out and clean up any bubbles or folds between the old seal and the new seal.
Secure the seal for drying - Using some more waxed paper, neatly cover the replacement drysuit's seal and use tape to secure it. Be careful not to allow the adhesive of the tape to come in contact with the seal or any part of the drysuit. Get the plastic ring that you have created earlier and wrap it with waxed paper. Use tape to secure the wax paper and put the ring over the seal.
Final Steps - After allowing the adhesive mixture to cure for a minimum of 10 hours, take off the waxed-paper and plastic ring. Apply adhesive mixture on the edge of the new seal (where it meets with the drysuit). After an hour, take out the plastic container and turn the suit outside out. Insert back the plastic container and put on a light coat of adhesive mixture on the edges where the old and new seal meet. Let it cure for one day.
A new drysuit is quite expensive so replacing just the seals will cost you much less and greatly extend the useful lifetime of your suit.
Remove the old seals - Expose the interior of the suit where the seals are located by turning it inside out. Carefully cut the seal, leaving the bonded parts intact. Keep the cut straight and avoid uneven edges. Sand the edges of the suit to roughen them. This will allow the glue to hold more securely. Thoroughly clean the rough edges with alcohol and let it dry.
Prepare the suit to receive a new seal - Get a plastic container (flower pot, traffic cone, or a bucket) that fits into the opening of the seal (wrist, ankle and neck) and wrap it with a piece of waxed paper, secured with tape. Insert the wax-wrapped container in the seal opening to create a fixed gasket opening and put a rubber band around it to prevent it from sliding out. Get another plastic container and slice off both sides to mimic a large plastic ring. These pieces will help hold the new seal in the right position.
Mix the glue for the seal and apply to the mating surfaces - Put on latex gloves and mix an equal portion of Cotol and Aquaseal on a dry plastic tray. Evenly apply the Cotol and Aquaseal mixture on the original seal and leave it exposed. Allow it to dry for 10 minutes. As with the old drysuit seal, turn the new seal inside out. Fold back the edge of the new seal and apply a light coating of Cotol and Aquaseal mixture on its edges where the old seal will be fitted. Apply another layer of adhesive mixture to your old seal.
Attach the new seal - As both old and new seal are coated with the adhesive mixture, cautiously position the new seal and apply a pressure on its glued edges over the original seal. Smoothen out and clean up any bubbles or folds between the old seal and the new seal.
Secure the seal for drying - Using some more waxed paper, neatly cover the replacement drysuit's seal and use tape to secure it. Be careful not to allow the adhesive of the tape to come in contact with the seal or any part of the drysuit. Get the plastic ring that you have created earlier and wrap it with waxed paper. Use tape to secure the wax paper and put the ring over the seal.
Final Steps - After allowing the adhesive mixture to cure for a minimum of 10 hours, take off the waxed-paper and plastic ring. Apply adhesive mixture on the edge of the new seal (where it meets with the drysuit). After an hour, take out the plastic container and turn the suit outside out. Insert back the plastic container and put on a light coat of adhesive mixture on the edges where the old and new seal meet. Let it cure for one day.
A new drysuit is quite expensive so replacing just the seals will cost you much less and greatly extend the useful lifetime of your suit.
Find out more about kayaking drysuits at Basic Kayaking 101: Paddling for Beginners.
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